Metro determines cause of Red Line fire

WASHINGTON – WMATA has determined the cause of a fire on a Red Line train in May.

The Washington Examiner reports that the fire, which happened during evening rush hour on Tuesday, May 14, was caused by a breaking off of a cleat that held a hose on a 1000-series train. The hose fell so that it sat on a power cable and the protective covering wore off over time, which led to the fire and explosions.

WMATA says after passengers were offloaded from the train at Takoma, the out-of-service train was continuing toward Glenmont when the mechanic, who was still aboard, reported three loud explosions as the train reached Silver Spring. The explosions came from the rear of the train, along with smoke and fire.

The 1000-series trains were involved in the Red Line crash in 2009 and are one of Metro’s older train models. The Examiner says Metro will be placing Kevlar coverings on equipment in the 1000-series trains to prevent similar incidents in the future, and the trains will be inspected daily for such problems.